Mike Dunleavy leaves L.A. Clippers coaching duties to Kim Hughes

Mike Dunleavy, the Los Angeles Clippers’ head coach will leave his coaching duties to his assistant, Kim Hughes. Hughes will takeover as the interim coach for the rest of the 2010 season of the Clippers in the NBA.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the ideal time for me to direct my efforts toward the many personnel opportunities that lie before us, such as the trade market, the draft and the free-agent process,” Mike Dunleavy said in the statement Thursday. “We fully expect to be active and productive on all those fronts.”

Though Dunleavy resigned as the head coach, he still remains as the General Manager of the team. He still has one more year left on his contract as the Clippers’ GM at $5.4 million.

Dunleavy took over as coach of the Clippers in 2003 and has been the longest tenured in the franchise’s history.